1. Technical Field
This disclosure is generally directed to surgical access devices, and more particularly, to a first-entry surgical access system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Trocars are used for instrument access to body cavities in minimally invasive surgery, for example, laparoscopic surgery. In laparoscopic surgery of the organs of the abdomen, the abdomen is typically inflated or insufflated with an insufflation gas, for example, carbon dioxide, which lifts the abdominal wall away from the internal organs, thereby facilitating access to the organs, a condition referred to as pneumoperitoneum. Inserting trocars into an abdomen under pneumoperitoneum is relatively easy. Because the abdominal wall is distended away from the internal organs by the pressure of the insufflation gas, inadvertent damage to the organs during insertion is reduced. Before pneumoperitoneum is established, however, the abdominal wall through which the trocar is to be inserted contacts the internal organs directly. Consequently, inserting the first trocar, referred to as first entry, carries an increased risk of damaging the internal organs directly beneath the entry point.